The 7 Month Bitch...

 

So...it has been 7...(checks notes) months...can this be right???

 

OMFG!

 

41 months to go....

 

In the past month we have watched the rise and fall of Doge...the disappearance of the Epstein files...they are on my desk...now they are gone...we just don't know...stop asking...look over there...Obama...Hillary...Biden...Aliens....Meeting with Putin... Meeting with Zelensky... Meeting with half of the European Leaders...Fucking Gavin...and on and on...

It is exhausting.

I am exhausted.

But...we WILL get through this.

We must.

And we will emerge stronger because of it.

Hang in there! 

Teddy Bear Picnic

 

It has been all about bears at Katmai, this week...and playing...and napping...and eating.

Fat Bear Week (not until October) is going to be like none other.

And every-bear is just full happy and relaxed.

 

The aerial view of 901.

And 901 on top of the falls.

 

903 and 910

Wallflower

Chunk (whose belly now touches the water)

Walker

And 602, of course.

Who seems to eat and nap...

Then wake up to eat some more.

 Even Gully is becoming rotund!

A sow came a bit too close to Biggie and got herself grazered.

 And one afternoon the 803 yearlings discovered a new toy (the camera)

 But, otherwise, it has been a fairly quiet August...and we begin to slide into Autumn.

 

 

 

 

Virtual AZT: Inner Gorge...Kaibab...Dragon Bravo Fire...and The End of the Trail

 

The gorge is magical. Turquoise blue water. Waterfalls. Red rock cliffs and canyons.

I could have stayed here.

Correction...we should have stayed here.

But Thursday Morning arrived...and with it the end of our campsite stay.

"Well...what's it going to be?" Dixie asked, as we packed up our tents.

"I'm coming with you." I replied, barely audible...hardly convincing.

"That's the Spirit!!!" She laughed.

 The workaround sounded fairly straight ahead.  We would get off the trail before it became #39 and hike in a wide loop until we intercepted Passage #40..the Kaibab trail...which eventually ended our adventure.

 

Off...we went.

Blissfully unaware that Dragon Bravo Fire had shifted...and now had overtaken the lower half of the Kaibab Passage.

We climbed out and immediately saw there was a problem.

The further we looped to intersect the Kaibab...the more smoke we saw.

What had looked like a small inconvenience was now a dangerous reality.

And there was still that felony thing... 

 The beautiful North Rim Lodge

was reduced to a smoking pile of ashes and burned black stone.

Still...we trekked on.

 

Off the path...it was easy to get confused...turned around. 

 

The air was thick with smoke and the smell...like 1000 campfires all burning around you.

 

When we reached the Kaibab...we were stunned to find the passage filled with rangers.

 

"Oh...Thank God!!!" Dixie called, getting their attention.

 

(...let me handle this...she hissed...)

 

We were quickly approached and she turned on all that southern charm...complete with blond stupidity

 

"We got off the trail this morning and turned around...lost...can you help us?"

 

"Miss..this trail is dangerous and now closed" the Ranger informed her.

 

He led us out to the middle of Kaibab...where we had relatively a few miles to the trailhead...and our destination.

 

Saved by big blue eyes...long blond hair and a South mouth.

 

And no felonies.

 

We celebrated in town before going our separate ways.

 

It was an amazing adventure!

 

Glad you came along.

 

Love,

 

"Beans" 

 

 

 

Bears...Test Results...Comparisons and Books

 

Starting and ending each day with the bearfolk, now...

Got John's scans and MRI back earlier this week...and cause to celebrate. No new growth anywhere...everything healing nicely...and not having any adverse reactions to immunotherapy, this time.

We are soooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!!!

And celebrated here with tacos and chat and loving on Tux (and maybe a small nap together).

Life is good..and we have a getaway scheduled soon!

 

The bears..omg...the bears...

 First of all...there is plenty of food for everyone!!!!

So wonderful because there is a lot of playing...relaxed happy bears...and just general goofing off!

And Fat Bear Week is going to be lit..because some of these are absolute units, now.

ZEUS

 #910

 LOU

 

#910 (again)

 #32 CHUNK

 

Who was caught down river fishing and playing with #856!!!

 And my choice (so far) for Fat Bear...number 602...who has installed himself in Otis' old office...and EATS...all day...

And EATS... 

And NAPS...

 Then EATS some more.

Unlike other boars who run others off with teeth and claws...602 prefers his cha-cha-cha move...

 Which looks a bit odd, but seems to work.

Someone set it to music.

https://youtu.be/DrNh1pUCmYo?si=B9qpZd_g-0MyAfXO

And then there was Slappy #808...

https://youtu.be/sVnXCTAmYGo?si=a-x0m8loOwLiGkmw

(..this is a must watch...)

SLAPPY, true to his nickname, has a bad habit of coming up to random bears and just slapping them.

He isn't angry.

Or mean.

Or asserting dominance.

He is a lot like Scuba Steve...just annoying.

Until last night...when he slapped #164 Bucky Dent.

 Bucky growled menacingly and pinned his ears back...

"Excuse me!!! Do you know WHO I am???? I am the son of GRAZER...brother to GULLY...sired by #856...you peasant...How DARE you!!!"

SLAPPY was chastised, but Bucky was benevolent,, and let him retreat...continually looking over his shoulder...and no attack came.

Then Bucky settled in...catching salmon again as though it never happened.

Nary a dull moment at Brooks Falls.

 

This week comparing Arby's Brisket Sandwich

which I LOVE with

Burger King's New Brisket...

 

 Spoiler Alert:  There is no comparison...BK sucks and pictures are deceiving.

There was so little actual brisket meat on my sandwich it resembled a smear of a condiment.

So disappointing.

And finally read

 

By the same author that gave us 5-4-3-2-1.

It was worth the read...but not as life changing or spectacular as many had touted.

Very Zen.

Have a great week!

Love,

Carla and Tux 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual AZT: Passage 37 Grand Canyon South Rim

 Beans (and Dixie) here...

 

The beginning down is easy to moderate and scenic.

It made all of the desert miles seem to disappear.

It was breathtaking!

Plenty of water. Places to stop and rest...just absorb the beauty.

And also this on the (closed) North Rim.

 

 ...are we sure about this?????

"We'll be fine."

I am sooooo not convinced.

After our descent we reach tonight's destination

Running water, spectacular view from the bottom, well kept campsites, friendly campers, inexpensive...what's the catch?

The catch was that although you could spend the night here...and even hike the bottom canyon passage (#38) if you tried to hike any of #39 ( North Rim ) they would immediately ARREST you and you would be charged ( among other things ) with a FELONY...

Because this was FEDERAL LAND.

...right...

"One day at a time." Dixie says soothingly.

Like that voice you use, when you're trying not to spook a horse. 

...too late...I'm spooked... 

Tomorrow, the plan is to stay here through Wednesday night...explore the bottom land of the canyon. Do touristy things. Be convincing tourists. 

Dix says I must trust her.

It is going to be fine.

...for the record it doesn't feel fine...

She says if I REALLY don't want to go on, come Thursday, I can always go back up the South Rim.

I'm going to relax and enjoy the next couple of days...then we will see.

See Everyone on Friday!

 

"Beans" (and my soon-to-be felonious friend- Dixie)

 
 

 

 

 

Virtual AZT: Coconino Rim- Passage 36

 

Beans, here...

 

A relatively easy day...the 18.5 mile single path hike through desert grasslands to the much cooler pine forests that brings the first view of The Grand Canyon.

It is awe inspiring!

Caught up with fellow hikers Red, Waldo and Dixie at the rim.  Red and Waldo were only doing section hiking and leaving the trail tonight.

Dixie...who I met on the AT years ago...has through hiked the AZT several times and pointed out our immediate concern

"You see that smoke cloud on the North Rim?"

She explains that is the Dragon Bravo Fire.

It doesn't look particularly bad, but she explains, it is.

"It has burned over 80,000 acres so far...including burning the North Rim Stone Lodge to the ground."

OMG!!

The trail over to the North Rim is closed for safety concerns.

I am crushed thinking the adventure is over, and lamenting the loss of the lodge...but Dixie has this insane gleam in her eye.

"Maybe for lesser folk."  She laughs.

...you're scaring me...

 The crux of the matter is that she has hiked here enough to know what she calls WORKAROUNDS.

And so, we agree to spent the weekend just outside the South Rim...enjoy the luxury of regular baths, company and chat, and good food/soft beds 

 

and descend into the canyon on Monday.

...together...

"Besides...we're both carrying GPS", she laughs again.

"So they can locate the bodies", I finish, somberly.

See ya'll on Monday!

"Beans" (...and Dixie)

 

Virtual AZT: Passage 34 Down To Babbitt Ranch

 

From the snow fields and white-walking back down to near desert and 90 degrees...

 

This is the Arizona Trail.

Never a dull moment.

 

Woke on Tuesday to 5 inches of fluffy whiteness and 32 degrees...crunched for miles through snowfields then down...and down...and down...

Now here we are back in the flatness and heat.

...who thought that desert hiking was a good idea?

 Arriving at Babbitt Ranch...which begins Passage 35.

Babbitt is a real working ranch...complete with horses and cowboys.

Some stay on and volunteer, but we are just passing through...and that is okay.

 Miles to go before we sleep. 

Right now we are back to stark and scrubby...and hot!

...hot...did I mention hot...

And so we set off putting the ranch behind us.

 

More on Friday.

...maybe they would let me use one of those horses...

laughing,

"Beans"